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Compatibility

pc

The ability of a system or component to work with other products or systems without modification.

expanded

Compatibility is a critical factor in computing and electronics, ensuring that various components or software can coexist or integrate effectively. It is crucial for assessing system interoperability, which impacts how hardware devices connect or software applications interact. Compatibility significantly influences usability and system performance in network environments and cross-platform operations.

examples

A personal computer with a PCI Express 4.0 slot must be compatible with a PCIe 4.0 graphics card to achieve optimal data transfer speeds of up to 1,969 MB/s per lane.

This is commonly used in high-performance gaming PCs and workstations that require high-speed data transfer between the motherboard and the video card.

An operating system like Windows 11 is compatible with both x64 processor architectures, requiring a minimum of 1 GHz processor and 4 GB of RAM.

Used in general-purpose computing environments where new software needs to be executed on existing hardware configurations.

related terms

Port
A port is an interface on a computer or peripheral device for connecting with other devices or networks.
Socket
A socket is a physical or virtual interface for connecting compatible computer components or peripheral devices.
Capacity
The maximum amount that a system or component can contain or handle.
Header
A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer designed for individual use.
Form factor
The physical size, shape, and configuration of a hardware component or device.